Free kick Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 On 8/18/2017 at 10:29 PM, jpg75 said: Germany, Italy, France... Iceland? What have they accomplished at the youth levels? Belgium and Sweden tend to have cycles of good and decent. Yes. Lets not get carried away with Iceland. They had their moment at the last euro and it was fun to watch and support; I was routing for them. But if you judge strictly by the quality of their play and the talent, they are not a tier 1 nor tier 2 national side. Not even at the senior level. I have not seen anything of note from their youth sides. Population does matter! If you dont have a culture for the game (ie. a history, a following, a conscieouness, a magnet for participation at all levels), then population doesnt matter. China and India are examples. But all things being equal culturally, the only other differentiator is population and its equates to the pool size. The bigger the pool, the more quality and talent to have to choose from. Thats just basic math and statistics. For smaller countries that you noted, its comes down to that one special talent that can make a difference in a game. And in this sport, that one talent can take you far. But if you are a smaller country, that one special talent will come cyclically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrycoyster Posted August 24, 2017 Author Share Posted August 24, 2017 The player who scored both goals against Canada for the US in the opening game, just signed a pro contract with Sporting Kansas City at 15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shermanator Posted August 24, 2017 Share Posted August 24, 2017 Cool, let me know when he wins the Golden Boot in a major tournament as a 16 year old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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